Fifteen Miss Colorado USA contestants are selected from 57 women to move forward in the competition on Sunday at the Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley. Eleanna Livaditis was crowned after the swimsuit, evening gown and interview portions of the pageant.

Cindy Yan, of Englewood, is crowned Miss Colorado Teen USA on Sunday night at the Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley. Yan competed with more than 60 girls for the title, and she will vie for the title of Miss Teen USA next year.

Related Media

For the winners of the Miss Colorado USA and Miss Colorado Teen USA pageants in Greeley on Sunday evening, their focus wasn’t on winning; it was on exuding confidence.

“It’s about being confident and comfortable with who you are,” said Eleanna Livaditis, who was crowned Miss Colorado USA at the Union Colony Civic Center.

Dozens of girls and women, ages 13 to 26, from across the state competed for the titles. Livaditis, of Centennial, and Cindy Yan, an Englewood resident who was crowned Miss Colorado Teen USA, will represent the state in the national pageants next year.

Denise Wallace Heitkamp, executive director of the Colorado pageants, said she’s watched several contestants go from competing in the Miss Teen USA pageants to competing in the Miss USA pageants, and she’s always happy to see how the girls and women grow with their experience. She said with scholarship awards — $29,000 for contestants and $45,000 for the winners — the pageants give the women a chance to gain self-esteem and advance their careers.

“I think what the pageant does for women is it gives them a platform to really stretch themselves,” Wallace Heitkamp said.

Both winners said they look forward to the next year of representing their state. They said they’re grateful for the opportunity to work with the organization’s charity connections.

“I really hope to help out my community,” said Yan, who thanked her family and the people in her city for their support.

Both urged young women considering the pageant to have confidence as they step into the competition. Livaditis said while it may seem as though money is a big part of the competition, self-esteem is the most important factor.

“My dress cost $50,” she said. “I don’t think you have to spend a lot of money.”

Kaitlin Thorne, an Evans resident who works as an EMT at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, competed for the fourth year in the Miss Colorado USA pageant. She said she keeps coming back because of the people she meets along the way.

“It’s just so much fun, and I love all the girls I meet, so I wanted to be a part of it again,” Thorne said.

She said she would encourage other women to “just go for it.” She said although she didn’t place this year, she’s happy she competed.